


Howling Heart

by JamtheDingus



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dog groomer AU, Dogs, Established Relationship, Keith is a softie, M/M, reposted from tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-24 22:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14365392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamtheDingus/pseuds/JamtheDingus
Summary: Hunk softly hums at his touch, leaning into it. “Love you.” He mumbles, just as tender as the times he says it against Keith’s bare skin on hot nights where they’re too tired and too content to get up and turn on the fan.Keith wonders, not for the first time, how different times like this would be if they get a pet. Would they nose their way between them, cold and wet like frozen lightning when Keith least expects it? Or would they be territorial enough to growl at one of them for stealing away their favorite’s attention?He brings up as much to Hunk that morning, but Hunk only tilts his head up at him and presses a kiss against his chin— exactly where the rain had stained. “That’s why there’s two of us. Just toss ‘em to me and I’ll take care of the rest, babe.”It sounded unfair (and unrealistic, if— for some ungodly reason— the pet decides to choose Keith as his favorite) but it melts him anyway.---Hunk suggests getting a pet, and Keith is bothered by it more than either of them thought.





	Howling Heart

**Author's Note:**

> last prompt (as with the rest, from tumblr):
> 
> WHAT'S UP BABE, can I get uhhhhhhhhhhhhh heith dog groomer au????

Keith mumbled softly to the puppy in front of him as she whined when he lifted her paw. She was covered in gentle suds, until she looked more like a fluffy sheep than short-hair pug, but she was scared to death.

“You’re alright, girl.” He gently parted her toes and examined her nails. “I won’t hurt ya.”

He felt more than saw Hunk enter the room, his footsteps vibrating through the metal floor of their van. ‘The Golden Retriever’ was what Hunk had named it, and it made Keith physically recoil everytime he spouted the name off to a potential customer. (He’d be lying, though, if he said it hadn’t made him laugh more than once.)

They were a mobile dog grooming service that was quickly becoming popular with the locals, and Keith was having the time of his life.

He gently scratched behind the puppy’s ears, risking a glance up at Hunk. They’d probably be moving locations soon, after they’d finished this last puppy, and Hunk was doing a run through to make sure everything was put back in place.

When Hunk passed behind Keith, he reached down to ruffle his hair. At Keith’s quiet huff, he dropped to kiss him on the forehead. “Little Lady giving you any trouble?”

“She’s terrified, but she’ll be alright.” Keith began to rinse her with carefully tempered water. “She peed all over me earlier.”

“Aw, gross.” Hunk said, even as he cooed at her. “I’ll get out of here before I scare her even more. Owners will be back in another hour or so.”

“Got it.”

Keith watched from the corner of his eye as Hunk headed towards the front of the van, stopping in the doorway to check off their last customer’s reservation. Because they really _were_ getting popular enough to need reservations sometimes. It was mind-blowing to Keith, really.

What was even more mind-blowing was the fact that, even covered in dog-hair and slobber, Hunk was _still_ unfairly attractive. Keith watched as he, with zero hesitance, lifted the hem of his shirt and wiped sweat from his forehead with it, revealing a strong abdomen hidden by his soft pudge.

And it wasn’t even as if the uniform they had was particularly sexy. Plain, tan slacks with a yellow, collared shirt that had smiling dog faces on them. If anything, it should’ve been dorky on him— yet...

Keith jerked his attention back to the puppy at hand when Hunk absently glanced over, rinsing her tail more thoroughly than necessary.

 

\---

 

The sun had long ago set when they finish their last pet. Keith spears his fingers through his own sweat-matted hair as he pets the Great Dane waiting patiently beside him. The door to the back of the van lays wide open, to help air out the moist after a long day, and the breeze is orgasmic against his skin. It was getting hotter every day, even as winter approached, and his pit stains regaled as much to the world as he stretched his arms above his head.

The giant dog yawns along with him as they watch the traffic wane with the hour, and Keith trails his fingers along the pink leather collar nestled around his neck. “I know you’re tired of me, buddy. You’ll be home, soon.”

“They’re on their way now.” Hunk says from around the truck. He’s checking the tires, poking at the rear-left one with his toe as he peeks around to eye Keith. “You tired?”

“I could probably sleep for the rest of the year.”

Hunk snorts at him, circling around to join him. The truck dips as he climbs in, and Keith offers him a small smile. Hunk leans over to rest his head against Keith’s shoulder, and he must look incredibly uncomfortable bending himself like that but he sighs contently, so Keith doesn’t mention it.

The sun, orange and golden, peeks at them through the trees that circle the park, painting the ground in waving shadows. He kicks his legs like a pendulum into a gentle rhythm, letting his shoulders relax with a deep sigh that mimics his boyfriend’s.

“We should get a dog.” Hunk says, fatigue leaking into his voice. “Like… adopt one, maybe.”

Keith scratches behind the Dane’s ears. “I thought you would be tired of dogs, since we spend every day with them.”

“We could get a cat, then!”

“Because that’s definitely different.” Keith teases.

A car pulls up beside them— the owners of the pretty Dane— and their conversation is put on pause as Hunk helps them pay and get the dog situated in their SUV.

Keith escapes into their van, busying himself with changing out of his sweaty shirt and into something more comfortable. He ends up stealing one of Hunk’s spares, pressing the soft cotton against his cheek as he listens to the soft crackle of their radio filter through the truck.

Their conversation doesn’t continue until the next day.

They’re parked somewhere in the suburbs, since that’s where they get the most customers, and Hunk is nearby letting a trio of poodles sniff around before they get their bath. Keith is kneeling against the tireguard as he sips off-brand soda, untroubled by the dried mud scraping across his back.

Keith watches Hunk get tangled in the three separate leashes as the dogs get a bit too excited, and he tries not to grin as he watches him get taken down and smothered with kisses.

Hunk seems content laying in the grass for a while, with the soft pooches resting across his belly, so Keith goes to join him. He flops onto the dewy ground, sighing contently as they watch the clouds pass by. He offers a sip of his cream soda to Hunk, who gladly downs the rest of it in one gulp.

“If we get a cat— or a dog, or whatever— would we be able to take care of them?” He asks, out of the blue. “I don’t just want to abandon them all day while we do this.”

“That’s true.” Hunk readily agrees. “We’d probably need one we can bring along. Someone docile enough to play with the other dogs without getting to rowdy.” He muses aloud, ticking off on his fingers. “It’d be an extra responsibility we can’t forget about, ever.”

“You sound like a parent.” Keith smiles, rolling over onto his side to watch him.

“A pet-rent.”

“I hate you.” Nonetheless, Keith dips forward to press a kiss against his cheek and get him untangled so he can start the grooming process.

 

\---

 

The topic doesn’t get dropped, really. They mention it every so often— the possibility of getting a third member to their little party— but they don’t act. Not when their business, as booming as it is, is so incredibly new and fragile.

Hunk stays as the face of their company. His sunny grin is enough to convince most customers that they’re the right choice, and Keith’s grooming and cuts convince the rest.

One time they’re visited by an owner who’s even more nervous than the dog is at leaving him alone with strangers. So, as a test run, Keith gives the pup a quick bath and shave while the owner watches his every move.

The following review they get doesn’t miss their radar, either. He’s described as ‘curt, but gentle to both customer and pooch’ and that makes him more pleased than it ought to.

But sometimes business is slow. The middle of the week, when no one has time to chase down a mobile grooming service, is usually when they get the most free time, and it’s then that Keith convinces Hunk to climb atop the van and watch the rain with him.

“It’s a free shower.” He said, and Hunk shoots him a look.

“Free car wash, too.”

They get settled, curling up against one another like the most coiled of snakes, and Keith resists pressing a kiss against the crown of Hunk’s head when the latter lays against Keith’s chest.

A soft raindrop drips onto his chin, prompting Keith to reach up and swipe it away with his thumb. He lets his hand stray towards Hunk, combing his fingers through his forelock.

Hunk softly hums at the touch, leaning into it. “Love you.” He mumbles, just as tender as the times he says it against Keith’s bare skin on hot nights where they’re too tired and too content to get up and turn on the fan.

Keith wonders, not for the first time, how different times like this would be if they get a pet. Would they nose their way between them, cold and wet like frozen lightning when Keith least expects it? Or would they be territorial enough to growl at one of them for stealing away their favorite’s attention?

Keith had more experience with the latter, especially with the younger dogs they pick up. They never progressed to fights, especially when Hunk is there to hold one while Keith urges the other into a kennel, but it’s enough of a heart pounding situation to make him hesitate when it comes to getting a pet all his own.

Not to mention, the _affection_. As much as he loves a good, tight hug from the right person from time to time, it’s often _too_ much for his skin to handle. Every nerve lights like a burned out bulb, ready to explode, but he can’t snap at an animal like he can a person.

He brings up as much to Hunk that morning, but Hunk only tilts his head up at him and presses a kiss against his chin— exactly where the rain had stained. “That’s why there’s two of us. Just toss ‘em to me and I’ll take care of the rest, babe.”

It sounded unfair (and unrealistic, if— for some ungodly reason— the pet decides to choose Keith as his favorite) but it melts him anyway.

 

\---

 

“What if we lose it while we’re on the road?” Keith asks, once. It feels like a half-baked excuse, but his mind had conjured up better things that made him worry even more than that.

Hunk pauses, the petite comb in his hold nearly getting lost in the thick fur of the purebred pomeranian he was detangling. “The hypothetical cat?”

“Or dog.” Keith says, half out of habit. “Like— we’re on the highway. Our tire bursts, and we have to pull over, and they just… run off.”

Hunk fishes the comb out and pets the dog— Petunia, she was named— as he carefully mulls over his words. When he goes two minutes and stays silent, Keith hesitantly turns to watch him. He’d been washing out one of the baths, but it was easier to let it soak for a while, anyway.

“I didn’t know you were worrying so much about stuff like that.” Hunk admits after a moment, chewing his bottom lip.

Keith helplessly shrugs his shoulders.

They fall silent again, and it’s uncomfortable enough for him to make Keith turn back around to avoid looking at Hunk.

Hunk, of course, knows what he’s doing. He finishes his job, combing and combing until the pomeranian is fluffier than a brand-new towel, and lets Petunia down to set her in a nearby kennel for the moment, before Keith has a chance to find scissors to give her a trim.

“Come sit with me?”

Keith takes Hunk’s offered hand with hardly a thought, and soon is tugged towards the front. They settle into the driver and passenger seats, leather-bound and stitched with their logo on the headrests. Keith leans against the rough material, frayed just slightly around the edges from how often he ran his fingers along the pattern, and kicks his shoes off to cross them comfortably.

Hunk turns the radio down absently, even as he taps his fingers to the beat.

“We don’t have to get a pet.” Hunk starts, first and foremost. “I kind of just threw it out there, but I never meant for it to worry you like this.”

“It makes sense to bring it up.” Keith interrupts. “I mean… it’s our _job_ to take care of pets, more or less.”

Hunk shrugs a shoulder. “It’s not worth it if it makes you stress like that. You know I like you to be happy, always.”

Keith’s heart circles in his chest, smitten at the words. “I don’t mind the idea of getting a pet with you.” He says, before Hunk can get too sappy. “Just worried about the what-ifs.”

Hunk leans against the steering wheel, careful of the horn. “Aren’t you supposed to be the impulsive one?” He teases. Keith smiles back at him.

“Guess I grew up a little.”

Hunk sighs, flopping back into his seat. “You and me both, sweetheart.” Then, “So— no pet.”

“I didn’t say that.” Keith readily argues. “Just… not yet.”

“Maybe if we weren’t mobile.” Hunk hums— and it’s then that Keith notices the sneaky look he has on his face.

He narrows his eyes, but Hunk only grins at him and leans over to press a kiss against his cheek. “Stop stressing about it, Keith. We’ll get one when we’re ready.”

 

\---

 

About a month later, Hunk surprises Keith with a crisp sheet of paper at breakfast one morning. He beams over a stack of pancakes while Keith skims the words, eyes grown wide by the time he finishes.

“Seriously?”

“Pidge saw a good place for rent— and Shiro put a payment on it before they even told me about it.”

In front of him laid a renter’s agreement— and underneath it a floorplan for their new grooming shop.

“When did this even happen?”

“About three months ago.”

Specifically, one month after Hunk had brought up to Lance how much easier it would be for them to have a _not_ mobile shop. He and Keith griped about it every so often, but they loved their van more than anything.

Speaking of, “What are we going to do about the car, then?”

“We keep it, of course. For those days when the walls are too constricting.”

Keith shoves almost an entire pancake in his mouth as he mulls it over excitedly. “Do we even have enough money for upkeep?”

Hunk gives him an exasperated look. “I went over it with everyone, and it’s all worked out. All I need to know is if you actually _do_ want to go through with it.”

Keith glances up at him, and Hunk is barely concealing his excitement. It’s almost like a dream come true for both of them.

And his answer is pretty obvious.

 

\---

 

One year after Golden Receiver’s— all Hunk’s doing— is opened, business is flourishing. They hardly have to work in the shop unless it’s around the holidays and their staff is short. On most days, they ride around in their favorite van.

But, somehow, Keith convinces Hunk to take a week off with him. They spend the first day getting to know one another all over again as they laze around the house and beat the autumn humidity with a water fight. On the second day, they celebrate their anniversary with a grand, home cooked dinner and a walk around the very first park they’d serviced when they first started the business.

On the third day, Keith surprises Hunk with a puppy all their own.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! c':


End file.
